A clear top target to be the Commanders’ defensive coordinator is officially available after team wasted no time making changes
Dan Quinn has a top defensive coordinator candidate to target after the Falcons fired head coach Raheem Morris as soon as the regular season ended.
Monday is the first official day of the offseason for teams that didn’t make the NFL playoffs, and it’s time for them to make changes and improve their teams.
The Washington Commanders are unfortunately in that group of teams, and they have a lot of decisions to make on the coaching staff and the roster. The first task will be finding a new defensive coordinator, and the Commanders have their first top candidate after the Atlanta Falcons wasted no time firing former head coach Raheem Morris.
Falcons fire Raheem Morris, who will be a top target for the Commanders’ defensive coordinator position
The Commanders need to find their next defensive coordinator, and we all know Quinn will likely look to hire someone from the outside with whom he has a connection.
The first clear target is now free for the Commanders to pursue after the Falcons wasted no time firing Morris Sunday night, just hours after beating the New Orleans Saints.
Dan Quinn and Raheem Morris go way back
Quinn and Morris go back further than you think, and the two first worked together at Hofstra back in 1998. Their paths to the NFL went separate ways, but they merged again in Atlanta in 2015. Quinn was fired as the Falcons’ head coach in 2020 after an 0-5 start to the season, and Morris was named the interim head coach. Quinn moved on to Dallas to revive his career, while Morris did the same with the Los Angeles Rams before returning to Atlanta as the head coach in 2024.
The Commanders were actually interviewing Morris for their head coaching position before they selected Quinn, and the rest was history. The two could be reunited, and it would be a decision that would either save Quinn’s job or be the last straw for his job security. Is it the right hire for Quinn to make, though?
Would Raheem Morris help fix the defense?
I know the fanbase would be split on the decision to hire Morris, but he’s a better defensive coach than he’s given credit for. He helped turn around the Falcons’ defense with a drastic jump from year one to year two. The Falcons also finally added players on the defensive side of the ball in the 2025 NFL Draft, and drafted very well, which hadn’t happened in the past.
The Falcons’ defense needed more turnovers, and they drafted Billy Bowman Jr. and Xavier Watts. Watts had a stellar rookie season with five interceptions. They also drafted Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. to fix the pass rush, and Pearce Jr. finished the season with 10.5 sacks, which is the most by a rookie since Micah Parsons in 2021.
The Commanders will have to do the same and add better defensive talent, and Morris has a track record of getting the most out of his players. Adding valuable defensive players while getting the most out of the current players, especially the younger group, is what this team needs. He’s been able to adjust over his two years, make the necessary changes, and that’s something the Commanders didn’t do.
As much as I hate Quinn’s safe approach with staying in his comfort zone, Morris would be a solid hire and a much-needed upgrade. Quinn also knows Jeff Ulbrich, the Falcons’ defensive coordinator, who is very unlikely to be retained by the new head coach in Atlanta, who could come over with Morris as part of his staff.
Washington Commanders News
Kliff Kingsbury got a very unexpected, yet noteworthy public endorsement for his return to the Commanders next season
Kliff Kingsbury’s future in Washington is in doubt, but he received the support of Jayden Daniels’ mom on social media after the Commanders’ win.
